Suppository-making machine



Sept. 2, l1924. 1,507,303

S. K. APPLEBAUM SUPPOSITORY MAKING MACHIN E Filed May 5, 1923 2 Shoots-Sheet l sept. 2, 1924. 1,507,303v

v S. K. APPLEBAUM SUPPOS ITORY MAKING MACHIN E Filed May 5. 1923 2 Shoots-Shut '2 Patented Sept. 2, 1924,

UNITED STATES SAMUEL K. APELEBAUM, OIE NEW YORK, N'. Y.

PATENT OFFICE.

SUPPOSITORY-MAKING MACHINE.

Application led. May 5, 1923.

mond, in the city of New York, county of Richmond, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Suppository-Making Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus by means of which suppositories and like medicaments are molded and particularly to improvements in the parts of such machines that are immediately involved in the molding operation. It has been a common practice for pharmacists, drugclerks and others who are called upon in the ordinary pursuit of their calling to prepare suppositories and like healing articles of manufacture, to make them by hand; but that process is slow and therefore costly. Moreover, the product is not uniform in either composition, size or weight. The cost of hand-made suppositories is further enhanced by the loss due to breakage. An object of this invention is to provide a machine of the kind hereinbefore referred to which will be simple in construction, comparatively inexpensive in manufacture and eflicient in operation and use. Another object of this invention lies in the provision of a suppository-making contrivance whereby the loss due to breakage of the produc( will be reduced to a minimum and the cost of the finished articles will be lessened greatly as compared with processes heretofore in use. @ther features of this invention will appear as the following description progresses. v n

In the drawings illustrating the principle of this invention and the best mode now known to me of applying that principle, Fig. 'l is an elevation of the machine assembled: Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on the line 1 1, of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the removable two-part mold or die-block and Fig. 4 is a vertical section thereof on the line F-t, of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a plan view of another form of mold or die-block and Fig. 6 is a Vertical section thereof on the line 6-6, of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a plan view of still another form of mold or die-block and Figs. 8 and 9 are vertical sections thereof on the lines STS and 9:79,

of Fig. .7.

Serial No. 637,003.

The frame or body a of the apparatus is in the nature of a housing, of which the base o is U-shaped and is open at its top and ends, while the top-portion o of the housing serves as a cover and is formed with,

a cylindrical chamber c (Fig. 2). The lower or bottom part of the top o is of a rectangular shape and is formed at its sides with a pair of inwardly-projecting guide'- ribs d, CZ, which are adapted and designed to engage in the guide-grooves o, o', of the sides of the base, when the machine is assembled; in this way, t-he parts o, c, of the body of the apparatus are slidably engaged with each other and may be readily disengaged from each other byy merely sliding the top c from off the base o. A shoulder o formed within the base b at one of its ends serves as an abutment and prevents the mold or die-block E from being thrust too far, when being inserted in the base o and so acts to position the mold E, which is cut away and formed thereby at e with a notch within which the abutment o is received.

In the top of the cover o, there is formed an internally-threaded opening or passage o which engages the screw-threads of a feedscrew or plunger f, the inner end f of which is reduced and threaded and the upper end f f of which carries a handle or finger-hold f7 that is held in place by means of a locking-nut 7L (Fig. 2). Within the chamber or barrel o of the cover c, there is mounted a piston or presser-foot z', which is circular in t shape and is screwed on the reduced end f of the feed-screw or plunger f.

The mold -or die-block E is two-part, the outer part eX being formed with a centrallydisposed opening c the wall of which is provided with a series of recesses lli/*ithin the opening c, there fits snugly and slidably the other part c of the mold E: and, in the particular embodiment of this invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4i, the. part o is shown as being six-sided, that is, hexagonal. In each of the six faces of the-parte, there is formed a recess j; and, when the parts c* and c are assembled in operative relation, the recesses '7" register with or are opposed to the recesses j, and so form with them the mold-'cavities j, which are of such form or shape that a suppository may be molded in each of them. In Fig. 2, each of the recesses y', j, forms exactly one-half -of the cavity j. By means of the lug Z in the mold-part ex, which engages in a notch Z/f the inner part e of the mold-block E, is limited in its travel within the opening e when being seated therein.

In Figs. 5 and 6, there is illustrated a second form of mold-block K, which is threepart and by means of which it is practicable to mold a dozen suppositories at one time or operation. The outer part or member 7c is formed with a centrally-disposed opening into which iits slidably and snugly an intermediate member 7c that is substantially cylindrical in form and that co-acts with the outer part in a manner' similar to the way the inner member e of the mold-block E (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) cooperates with the outer member e* thereof, as'will appear from the following, viz: The wall of the opening 7c is formed with recesses m (in the embodiment disclosed in Fig. 5, nine such recesses are provided, although the number may be more or less, as may be desired), while the opposed outer wall of the part 1c is formed with as many co-acting recesses m which are adapted and designed to register with the recesses m and to form therewith moldcavities m, each of which is of such a shape that asuppository may be molded therein, y

when the partsc, 7c, are in assembled relation. To expedite and facilitate the bringing of these parts 7c, 7c, into such relation, the member 7c carries a pin or stud n the inner end of which is arranged to engage in a notch or recess a formed in the lower end of the member 76; and when the projecting inner end of the pin bears against the top of the notch n (Fig. 6), the intermediate member 7c is then seated in its proper assembled relation, in which it is held by the pin a against rotatory displacenjient. The intermediate member 7c is formed with a central longitudinal or axial passage or opening in which is fitted snugly and free to slide an inner mold-block member the outer face of which is formed with recesses m, while the face or the wall c of the central bore of the intermediate member t is formed with recesses mqgwhich, when the parts are in assembled relation, register and cooperatewith the recesses m of the inner Vmember 7c* and form therewith suppositorymember 7c, there is the inner end of a seci ond locking stoppin or stud a* that is. in all substantial features or respects, similar in structure and functi0nto the stop-pin n (Fig. 6) mounted in the lower end' of the outer mold-member c. This second stoppin n* engages, when the parts in assembled relation, with thewals of a notch or recess formed in the lower end of the inner mold-member la* and serves to determine the limit of downward travel thereof, when the same is beingk seated in assembled relation to its co-acting member c,-and to lock these members 70X, k, together aga-inst accidental displacement by turning one within the other.

lhile, as has hereinabove been pointed out, the recesses j, y, are equal in size and each of these recesses j, .7", forms exactly half of the mold-cavity j, the recesses m', m, are unequal in size (Figs. 5 and 6) g in the particular and preferred embodiment illustrated, the recesses m are largerthan the recesses m. I have found that, by providing recesses m. (in the outer faceofthe intermediate member 10) smaller in size than are their cooperating recesses m formed in the opposed inner face lo ofv the outer mold-part 7c, the suppositories molded in the cavities m are less liable to breakduring 'manufacture and afterwards than are suppositories formed in the mold-cavities j, of which the component complementary recesses I7', j, are of equal size.`

In Figs. 7, 8 and 9, there is illustrated a mold block E (Figs. 2, 3 and 4), is two-part. and is made up of the outer mold-membero and the inner mold-member of that fits snugly and slidably in an opening o formed in the outer member 0. Instead of moldcavities that are substantially circula-r in horizontal section or plan view (as are the incid-cavities j, m, shownin Figs. 3 and 5, respectively), the cavities p. of the moldblock O are oval-shaped when viewed in plan (Fig. 7) and are adapted and designed to mold or give shape to suppositories known to the drug trade as vaginal suppositories. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the recesses p, p, that make up a cavity p. and are formed, respectively, in the opposed walls of the outer and inner mold-parts 0, o, are unequal in size, the recess p in the inner mold-'part o being the smaller. The stop-pin px (Fig. 9) serves the same function as has hereinbefore been described as being performed by the stop-pin a (Fig. 6), that is, to expedite the bringing of the recesses p', Z9, into register with each other and to maintain the mold-parts o, o, in assembled relation during the molding of the supositories. by its engagement with the vwalls of the notch p* formed in the lower end of the inner mold-member o.

The operation of the mlolding apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows: The top-partor cover o of the body c isreinoved from the base b by merely slipping itl from off the same. The cover c being detached from the base Z9 and the feed-screw f having been withdrawn from the cover 0 as far practicable for the purpose intended, the

cover c is inverted or turned upside down, so that the plunger-piston or presser-foot z' lies at the bottom of the chamber or barrel c in this position of the cover c. The

medicament (e. g., a preparation having cocoa-butter as a base) is then poured into the chamber c of the cover c, which serves, in its inverted position, as a receptacle for the composition. The mold E being in position in the U-shaped base b, the cover c is turned right side up and is engaged with the top of the latter, the guide-ribs t being slipped into the guide-grooves b in the sides of the base b. The suppository composition being of a somewhat plastic nature, is retained in the barrel or chamber c, while the cover c is being thus manipulated. In order to force the medicament into the cavities j of the mold E, the feed-screw f is turned so that the plunger-piston c' is made to approach the mold E, until finally the piston bears upon the top of the mold E. None of the medicament is lost, for none of it can escape from the apparatus, as will be readily understood from an inspection of Figs. l and 2. The mold E is released from the clamping action of the presser-foot z' by merely turning the feed-screw f slightly in the opposite direction, whereby the presserfoot c is withdrawn within the chamber c and from ofi' the mold E, which may then be removed from the base b. The inner moldmember e is then forced (as by pressing it with the thumbs while holding the outer mold-member e* with the fingers) out of the opening e in the cooperating mold-member e", when it will be found that the suppositories cling to the mold-part e and may be readily dislodged therefrom by a light tap with the finger-tip or by the application of light pressure to them, or otherwise. The use of the other forms of mold-blocks K, O, illustrated in Figs. 5 to 9, both inclusive7 differs not substantially from the manner in which the mold-block E is used; but I prefer to operate the apparatus with the moldblocks K, O, wherein the mold-cavities m, p, are so formed or made up that the points of the suppositories molded therein project or lie outside of the recesses m, p, in which the suppositories lie and are carried after the mold-parts are separated from one another or each other, as the case may be) upon the completion of the molding operation,`as hereinbefore briefly described.

The machine is made of the same alloy as that used in the manufacture of surgical instruments and is rust-proof. Moreover, the medicament or healing preparation of which the molded articles are composed does not stick to the mold-parts tenaciously but such articles may be freed or dislodged from the inner mold-part, after its separation from its cooperating mold-part, by touching them lightly with the finger; thus suppositories, have been heretofore devised and are known, and that the use of a screwfed piston' or presser-foot in such machines vis likewise old. I am further aware of the United States patent granted H. R. Heyl on Aprilv 29, 1879, No. 21477 5, whereby there is disclosed the use of a sectional or twopart mold. l

This application is filed as acontinuation in part of my pending application, Serial No. 568,048, sied June is, 1922.

I claim:

l. An apparatus of the character described, including a mold-block consisting of a plurality of mold-parts, one of which lies within the other and both of which are provided with recesses that are parts of a mold-cavity; a holder for the mold-block; and means for forcing into the mold-cavity therein the material that is to be given shape.

2. An apparatus of the character described, including a mold-block consisting of a plurality of mold-parts, of which one is pierced through from top to bottom and the other of which is slidably mounted in the opening so formed and is accessible for ejection therefrom by the operators pressing on one of its exposed ends; a wall of the opening being formed with a recess and the opposed wall of the mold-part slidably mounted in the opening being also formed with a recess, said recesses being parts of a mold-cavity; a holder for the mold-block; and means for forcing into the mold-cavity therein the material that is to be given shape.

3. An apparatus of the character described, including a mold-block consisting of a plurality of mold-parts, one of which lies within the other and both of which are provided with recesses that are parts of a mold-cavity, the recesses being unequal in volume; a holder for the mold-block; and means for forcing into the mold-cavity therein the material that is to be given shape.

4. An apparatus of the character described, including a mold-block consist-ing of a plurality of mold-parts, one of which lies within the other and both of which are provided with recesses that are parts of a moldcavity, the recesses being unequal in volume and the larger recess being formed in the outer mold-part; a holder for the moldblock; and means for forcing into the moldcavity therein the material that is to be given shape.

5. 'An apparatus of the character described, including a mold-block formed with a mold-cavity and consisting of a plurality eavityg a holder for the mold-block; andmoldeparts, one oiwhoh lies Within en. opening formed in the other or outer mold# r'psi-rtv and is lengthwise slidable therein; the

mold-.cavity being smaller at one end than at the other and lying partly in one of the mold-parts; and partly in the otherthereof and the snfizilleiV end oi the mold-eavity being located in the outer one of the moldparts, each of `Which is priwided with 'a recess; that forms a portion of the moldmeans for forcing into the mold-Cavity -theiein the mater-iai that is te be given Shape, f v Y i Signed at the borough o Richmond, =in l5 lthe cityof New York,A coulgty of Richmond andv State of New York, this 2nd day of" May, 19.23., in the presence of the two undersigned Witnesses.

SAMUEL, K. APPLEBAUM;

Witnesses:

RALPH GrooApLm, e MAXLEYL 

